With Cupid’s arrows flying, Norman Love doesn't slow down this time of year.
"These are all chocolate flowers that we put on different specialty cakes..."
The chocolate maker made a name for himself in southwest Florida for making gourmet chocolate candies, without preservatives.
"We've been number one in the world for a long time and we work hard to maintain that,” says the Chocolatier. "All of the delicious things that we grew up with, is kinda coming back."
From inside a brown and green building, in what looks like a real life box of chocolates, folks make the pilgrimage for sweets.
"They pop,” says Gary Ruple of the green and brown colors of the building, that also match the bags folks are carrying when they leave.
“When we were coming in to the driveway, I said, there is the Norman Love Chocolate right there,” Gary says about his approach in the car.
Gary knows Norman Love's chocolate factory is busy. First opened in 2001, Norman grew so quickly, he maintains a second location in the strip mall next door.
Before you go behind the scenes here, all visitors must wear a hairnet.
“You got it,” Norman says with a smile as Scott Fais attempts to don his hairnet. “That's it!”
Inside, find fresh Gelato made daily.
"They are preparing and spinning Gelato all day long,” Norman says during the first stop of his tour. In the kitchen, desserts are underway.
"When you eat desserts, you don't want everything soft or crunchy, you want a culmination of salty, sweet, crunchy,” he explains.
And that leads to something new in time for Valentine's Day.
"We launched a line three weeks ago called, 'Naked Love,’” Norman boasts.
Wait. Did he say... naked?
"A layer cake, that is not iced on the side, is naked,” Norman offers.
New ways to make Chocolate will keep folks like Gary Ruple coming back for what's packed in those little green and brown bags.
"I could live here,” Gary concludes.
Tankful on Television
You can catch new Florida on a Tankful stories each Thursday and Saturday on News 13 and Bay News 9. New editions play at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m. Classic Florida on a Tankful stories can be found each Friday and Sunday on Bay News 9 and News 13 at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m.
Tankful on Demand
Catch Florida on a Tankful with Scott Fais on your time, now on Bright House Local On Demand, Channel 999. Use your remote to scroll to the right to the TRAVEL category. Then SCROLL DOWN to TANKFUL.
Scott Fais joins Travel Monthly
Catch Scott Fais as the Florida Correspondent on the On Demand travel magazine, Travel Monthly. Each month, Scott joins other travel reporters from across the United States as they showcase a wide variety of attractions, diners, parks and landmarks from across America. See Travel Monthly nationally on Time Warner Cable channel 411 and at home in Florida on Bright House Local On Demand, Channel 999 in the TRAVEL category.